Tributaries is Now Available!

My latest collection of poetry, Tributaries, is now available from Maverick Duck Press! This collection is a series of poems about the Hudson River, from its humble beginnings in the Adirondacks all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, and the poems examine at the people and places dotting its winding path.

The poems were inspired by my friend Meg Marohn, who wrote me a poem on her typewriter at the Troy Farmers Market in 2017, after a conversation we had about all the places we lived along the river. After her tragic passing in 2022, I found the poem and wrote this chapbook based on its spirit and vision, and I dedicate this book to my friend. I think she would have liked it, and I hope you do too. The book was published by Maverick Duck Press in July, 2023 and is available now at their website. Thanks for taking a look, and if you’d like a signed copy, please reach out to me! Here’s a sample poem from the book called “Warrensburg,” and I hope you enjoy.

Six to the End (from the pages of Berlin)

My new poetry chapbook Berlin (from Maverick Duck Press) is flying out the door, and I thought I'd throw up a sample poem for anyone who would like to see what the chap is all about. The poems were all written during a week in Berlin, Germany in 2010 and contain plenty of noir sentiments: streelamps, trains, sidewalks, corner cafes, nighttime skylines, hotel ghosts, and more. You can order copies for $6 via the publisher or by emailing me at jhdwriting@hotmail.com. If you already own a copy, you can leave a review and rating at Goodreads.com. Thanks!

Six to the End

out go the lights

six to the end like empty chambers

of a smoking gun dead

broken heels running in the night

up the wet street, up the wet sky

blonde hair gracing the face of the moon

every dream has a hole

and every hole pours red hope

into pools of abrupt sermon songs

there isn’t a street without a crack

and there isn’t woman without a spine

to hold up her coat, or feathered summation

the women, they reload quick

and then men, they hurry for knives

every villain eager for a hero

every heart beaten to a pulp

and the empty shells slip from the gun

clatter onto the glass table

roll across Venetian blinds like mice

in the alleys there are tigers

in Macau there are fires

in morgues there are long dreams of masculine fear

all down the potter’s lane, cemeteries in a row

six to the end like waiting chambers

six to the end like autumn lovers gone

Berlin: Coming Soon!

My new poetry chapbook Berlin is inching closer to its release in early December, and Kendall A. Bell, the editor over at Maverick Duck Press, sent me the cover image last night, and here it is (both front and back are seen here):

I'm really impressed, and a major thank you goes to artist Ryan W. Bradley for putting it together, as well as to the entire staff at MDP for all their work. I can't wait for the book release reading on Dec. 5th at the Daily Grind Coffee Shop in Mount Holly, NJ. All are welcome to come along and join the open mic portion, or just hang out and listen, and I'll be reading from Berlin and some other books as well. I'll post details on where you can purchase a copy of Berlin as soon as I can. Until then, thanks for the support!

Berlin: A New Chapbook from Maverick Duck Press

I'm very excited to announce that my chapbook of new poetry, Berlin, was just accepted by Maverick Duck Press, a great small press dedicated to featuring, as they put it, "cutting edge talent with an eye for detail and a powerful voice." This will be a limited-run printing, and as soon as I have a release date I'll let you all know. Between this new collection and the currently available Lantern Lit, Vol. 1, which features my mini-chapbook The Darkest Bomb, I'll have to get myself out the door to some readings this year, and I'll post details about that as well. But for now, a big thank you goes out to MDP editors Kendall Bell, Kayla Marie Middlebrook, and Bronwyn Haynes, the magnificent city of Berlin, and Marguerite Gisele for walking me down the cobblestone, lamplit streets and for helping me order beer at The Nordwind! And a thanks goes out to all of you for your support and for reading my work. It's deeply appreciated.